POULSBO — During consecutive plays against Gig Harbor Friday night, three North Kitsap defenders swarmed past the Tides’ line of scrimmage to sack quarterback Matt Shearer, and defensive back Jerrell Smith tipped a long pass away from a defender.

Gig Harbor’s defense may have drawn more attention before the Tides met the Vikings, but when the only two undefeated teams in the Narrows League met Friday night, North Kitsap’s defenders spoke loudest without saying a word.

The Vikings’ defense stifled the Tides’ running game and slowed down Shearer long enough to run away with a 24-11 win.

“It means so much to beat them.” North Kitsap linebacker Bobby Thompson said. “It’s like a sign that we’re a team to beat.”

North slowed the Tides’ rushers in the first half, holding them to only 50 yards and no touchdowns.

In two of their first four possessions, the Tides went three and out.

Shearer worked from a shotgun formation during the second half and much of the time he had three receivers lined up to one side. He went 16-of-23 for 192 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came on a 15-yard toss to junior receiver Matt Schweitzer.

The yards weren’t enough to overcome the Vikings, who got a rushing and passing TD from quarterback Jared Prince — his TD pass was to Andy Sturza — and a rushing score from Nic Stearns in the game.

“They played better than us. They flat out beat us,” said Tides’ coach Darren McKay.

The Tides’ defense had given up only eight points in their first three games of the season.

Through its first three, North Kitsap was the highest-scoring team in the league.

Head coach Jerry Parrish was pleased with the Vikings’ defense — “Tonight our defense was very, very good,” he said — but wary of all the yards the Tides piled up in the second half.

“We made our mistakes. They did a couple of (passing) patterns we hadn’t seen before,” Parrish said.

The Vikings (3-0 in league, 4-0 overall) will visit Bremerton at 7 p.m. Oct. 3.

Gig Harbor 11, at North Kitsap 24

Gig Harbor 0 3 8 0 – 11

North Kitsap 6 8 7 3 – 24

First Quarter

NK — Prince 5 run (kick failed), 2:05

Second Quarter

NK — Stearns 15 run (Sturza pass from Prince), 5:40

GH — FG Hooper 22

Third Quarter

NK — Sturza 11 pass from Prince (Darrow kick), 9:14

GH — Schweitzer 15 pass from Shearer (Merrill pass from Shearer), :33

Fourth Quarter

NK — FG Darrow, 1:28

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Gig Harbor, Marsh 10-45, Cole 7-36, Jones 3-2.Shearer 4-(minus 15). North Kitsap, Stearns 18-85, Sturza 8-64, Prince 8-37, Doehne 5-11.

PASSING — Gig Harbor, Shearer 21-35, 259. North Kitsap, Prince 15-21, 166